ENFORCED- A Leap Into The Dark

RELEASE YEAR: 2024

BAND URL: https://enforced.bandcamp.com/

Thrash metal and crossover (with a little death metal for good measure) can make great bedfellows when handled with passion, talent and caution. Such is the case with the Richmond Virginian trio (yes, the same as Lamb Of God) founded in 2016 by Knox Colby (vocals), Will Wagstaff (guitars) and Zach Monahan (guitars-2024), (of whom Monahan has recently left) who, having caught the attention of War Records with their 3 demos (Demo²⁰¹⁷, Retaliation²⁰¹⁷ and Spring 2019) debuted with the excellent At The Walls²⁰¹⁹ I had the pleasure to review, however, I have missed Kill Grid²⁰²¹ which debuted them on Century Media Records, although picked up the excellent War Remains²⁰²³ for a glowing review of mine. I’m happy to report that their latest EP, A Leap Into The Dark²⁰²⁴, released on October 25th via the mighty Century Media Records, is another testament to their prowess and talent when considering the brand new tracks and with some less exciting content on top.

The EP consists of 3 brand new tracks, one remastered single from 2021 and two covers. The first two, “Betting On The End” and the title track, layered with all killer no filler riffs and pace changes courtesy of Ethan Gensurowsky (2018-bass) and Alex Bishop (2018-drums) section – which lyrics leave no room for doubt about whether Enforced see the future of the human family as bright or as dark as a Sith Lord, as the rich keep eating both the non-rich and the Earth until there’s no more left for even them to eat – these are perfect examples of why Enforced are currently my favorite thrash crossover band, and, particularly the title track shows the influence of old school death metal a’la Obituary, which then makes sense that they cover “Deadly Intentions” on this EP. Admittedly, “Deafening Heartbeats”, while definitely a good song, pales in comparison to both its predecessors and the remastered “Casket”, well, let’s just say that it doesn’t sound like it was remastered a lot, in other words, it almost does nothing for me in its under 2 minute duration, except for the compelling lyrics that warn us that someone’s “wearing down your will to survive with an enemy on all sides…the evolution of Cain…” while positing an interesting query if “the soul will ever cleanse itself” to which Colby confidently self-responds “I hope so, I will find out”.

While I hardly ever see the point of featuring covers on regular albums or EPs, I do recognize notable exceptions such as Slayer covering Judas Priest’s “Dissident Aggressor” on South Of Heaven¹⁹⁸⁸ where it fits so well with the rest as if it were their own composition, or Nevermore metalizing Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound Of Silence” in the middle of Dead Heart In A Dead World²⁰⁰⁰ (and ditto for fit et al), or Sepultura completely remodeling New Model Army’s mediocre “The Hunt” making it my favorite track on Chaos A.D.¹⁹⁹³. In Enforced case, I must say I am very impressed with their handling of Obituary’s “Deadly Intentions”, especially with Colby perfectly imitating John Tardy, on one hand, but, on the other hand, I question the inclusion of the mediocre English Dogs song “The Chase On”, even if, admittedly, Enforced makes it almost fun to listen to in their transformation.

I may not care much for their hardcore punk leanings because what I consistently want from these immensely talented and skilled Virginians is relentless concoction of thrash crossover and death metal and that’s exactly what I’m getting with the original tracks, which asssures me not only that these guys are not likely to disappoint any time soon but they are only getting better with age.